In Australia, assault is the leading preventable cause of death, (traumatic) brain injury (TBI), and mental health problems, particularly amongst women and vulnerable populations. We recently reported that, over a three-year period to October 2021, 1,232 patients presenting to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne sustained a head injury resulting from assault, including 900 (73%) following random assault and 111 (9%) domestic violence cases (the remaining 18% occurring in prison).

Our vision for the next five years is to develop a novel integrative neuroscience research program. The program will characterise, predict, and treat mental health deficits in assault victims that have sustained TBI. It is expected that this information will guide the development of novel personalised treatment plans and prediction models and by doing so, inform policy and practice to enhance the mental health outcomes of people living with TBI.

Investigators

Karen Caeyenberghs
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Juan Dominguez-Duque
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Study focus

Our retrospective study involves the analysis of medical records of assault victims with head injuries who presented to the emergency department of St Vincent’s Hosptal Melbourne from July 2018 to October 2021.

Sampling frame

Assault patients will undergo assessments at 5 time points during the acute, subacute (2 weeks, 1, 3 months), and chronic periods.

Data access

The data is not publicly available.

Time period

30 July 2018 – 30 October 2021

Original sample size

N = 1232 cases

Intergenerational

No

Imaging

CT scans

Linkage

We extract a wide array of demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants from the participant’s medical file (after informed consent) using the medical records of the hospitals.

Biosamples

N/A

Ethics approvals or requirements

Yes, high-risk ethics application (ethics committee St Vincent’s Hospital)

Waves

Wave Year / Period Age (mean, range) Eligible sample
1 Acute – shortly after injury TBC 250
2 Subacute – 2 weeks after injury TBC TBC
3 Subacute – 1 month after injury TBC TBC
4 Subacute – 3 months after injury TBC TBC
5 Chronic – 12 months after injury TBC TBC
6 Chronic – 18 months after injury TBC TBC

Key references

Domínguez D JF, Truong J, Burnett J, Satyen L, Akhlaghi H, Stella J, Rushworth N, Caeyenberghs K. Effects of the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Assault-Related Head Injury in Melbourne: A Retrospective Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 21;20(1):63. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010063. PMID: 36612383 Free PMC article.

Primary institution

Collaborating institutions

Major funding sources

Contact

Cohort Representative

Karen Caeyenberghs

k.caeyenberghs@deakin.edu.au

Address

School of Psychology, Deakin University
221 Burwood Highway
Burwood VIC 3125